84 THE LIFE OF THE FIELDS. 



apprehension, and directness of answer showed a well- 

 trained mind. The Sussex shepherd on this lonely 

 hill was quite the equal of any man in his rank of 

 life, and superior in politeness to many who move 

 in more civilized places. He left me to fetch some 

 wattles, called flakes in other counties; a stronger 

 sort of hurdles. Most of the reaping is now done by 

 machine, still there were men cutting wheat by hand 

 at the foot of the hill. They call their reaphooks 

 swaphooks, or swophooks, and are of opinion that 

 although the machine answers well and clears the 

 ground quickly when tne corn stands up, if it is 

 beaten down the swaphook is preferable. The swap- 

 hook is the same as the fagging-hook of other districts. 

 Every hawthorn bush now bears its red berries, or 

 haws ; these are called " hog-hazels." In the west they 

 are called "peggles." "Sweel" is an odd Sussex 

 word, meaning to singe linen. People who live 

 towards the hills (which are near the coast) say that 

 places farther inland are more "uperds" up the 

 country up towards Tunbridge, for instance. 



The grasshoppers sang merrily round me as I sat 

 on the sward ; the warm sun and cloudless sky and 

 the dry turf pleased them. Though cloudless, the 

 wind rendered the warmth pleasant, so that the sun- 

 beams, from which there was no shade, were not 

 oppressive. The grasshoppers sang, the wind swept 

 through the grass and swung the harebells, the 

 " drowsy hum " of the threshing engine rose up from 

 the plain ; the low slumberous melody of harvest time 

 floated in the air. An hour had gone by imperceptibly 

 before I descended the elope to Clematis Lane. Out 



